With the treasure trove of information available by applying
big data analytics to the practice of healthcare marketing beyond traditional market
research and surveys, is a new era of healthcare marketing getting ready to
explode upon the industry?
Or, will the use of big data send healthcare organizations to ligation hell
because some data was misused, HIPAA was
violated or patients just don't like the idea of marketers have access to data
no matter how confidential, and the security steps taken to keep it that way?
Now that Walgreens and other non-traditional providers of
healthcare services are expanding and taking a retail approach which is driven
by big data, hospitals and health systems as well as others need to start
paying attention, and looking at their healthcare services from a big data
standpoint. That means analysis by taking big data chunks, down to smaller chunks
of data looking for trends and insights into healthcare consumer’s behavior.
And if you are going to manage population health and develop effective
messaging on an individualized basis, then look to big data. Going away are the
days of generic messaging, as we enter an age where individualization of
messaging is key.
The healthcare consumer will use may use healthcare services
in pretty novel ways going forward. And
that will become apparent in the data. It's not all about the hospital any
longer. It’s about the business of healthcare, not hospital care.
If one desires the healthcare consumer to make "healthy
choices"? If an organization wants the health care consumers to stay in
network, then look at the data. If the
goal is to just even have the healthcare consumer to pay attention, then analyze
the data to develop those mass customization messages that appear
individualized, targeted at the health care consumer.
So while the analysis of the clinical and administrative data
moves forward for population health management, take a step back and think what
that means for the healthcare consumer.
They are people too. Not just clinical values. Not just whether or not they are going in or
out of network. Think how marketing can assist in all of the above. And it's not making things sound good, read
well or look pretty.
Don't use big data in your marketing and one will be
scratching their head wondering what happened when that healthcare consumer
train barrels past.
Big data is making healthcare marketing measurable and impactful.